A slight rally ended in the first three weeks of December when sales tumbled 32 per cent.

JJB made a loss of £42.9m in the first half of the year with tough competition from JD Sports
and Sports Direct taking its toll.

The company is hoping that its sale on 26 December will help to fuel a recovery.
JJB raised £100m from shareholders in a rights issue earlier this year in a bid to reduce its huge debt.

The Wigan-based group said that stock levels had improved but admitted the trading environment
“will remain difficult”. The levels will not return to where they want them until the first quarter of 2010.

JJB said in an Interim Management Statement: “We continue to be cautious about Christmas and New Year and expect that trading within the current environment will remain difficult.”